Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Power Ranking the NBA Christmas Day Jerseys

When images surfaced of rumored Christmas Day NBA jerseys, my first thought was, "WHAT?" Soon after, I assumed they were just a prototype or a fan using photoshop. Then soon after, the NBA confirmed that these shirt-like jerseys were the actual Christmas Day versions. The Warriors first began the trend last season, and now the other nine teams playing today will sport their iterations as well. Some are markedly better than others.

I'll rank them from worst to best based off three things: how their logo looks (L), how they look on the court they'll be playing on (LOC) and overall creativity (OC). The total of those three categories will determine where the jerseys rank respectively.

10. Chicago Bulls

L: 5 LOC: 2 OC: 3= 10

The Bulls break out their versions right away in the 12 o'clock game. Silver seems to be the major theme outside of the sleeves and large logos. For some teams it works. For the Bulls- not so much. The shade of red in this image looks nice, but during gameplay it stands out- and not in a good way. Put it this way: red should never be confused for orange. The second I saw them, I thought the Knicks were on the court. They come off looking very cheap, putting them very last on this list. This does not bode well for the other teams wearing red on Christmas Day.

9. Houston Rockets

L: 6 LOC: 2 OC: 3 = 11

Like the Bulls, the Rockets will don a similar shade of red at 8 pm against the Spurs. The fact their jerseys already include silver make these jerseys look even less special. But their logo looks better than the large Bull- but that's just my opinion. These bottom two spots are essentially a toss-up.

8. Miami Heat

L: 7 LOC: 5 OC: 4= 16

The Heat might have finished first these last two NBA season as champs, but struggle here at 7. Their shade of red is more appealing, and the silver touch to their already dynamic logo leaves a big gap between them and the Bulls and Rockets. Overall, though, they aren't nearly as eye-catching as some of the other Christmas jerseys.

7. Brooklyn Nets

L: 7 LOC: 7 OC: 3 = 17

The combination of a simplistic silver logo and all black jerseys give the Nets a head up on the teams ranked up until now. While they aren't anything ground-breaking or fancy- sometimes less is more.

6. Los Angeles Clippers

L: 7 LOC: 8 OC: 5= 20

The royal blue against the silver with the red and white trim give the Clippers' threads an advantage. Some may find them plain or too simple, but they'll look even better with the electric pace the Clippers will be forced to play against Stephen Curry and the Warriors. They'll certainly stand out against the Golden State's yellow court, another key factor in how jerseys from all ten teams will look.

5. Spurs

L: 7 LOC: 8 OC: 6= 21

The Spurs subscribe to the "less is more" theme just like the Clippers, except their less is more eye-catching. No words, just the alternate logo they use as the "U" in their logo. Like the Rockets, they already had silver in their logo, but it simply fits perfectly. Like the Nets- the jerseys will compliment their home court very well.

4. Thunder

L: 8 LOC: 7 OC: 7= 22

The already appetizing shade of dark teal-ish blue against the very fierce silver OKC logo puts them high on this list and will look great at Madison Square Garden.

3. Knicks

L: 9 LOC: 8 OC: 7 = 24

As someone whose favorite color is orange, I suppose the Knicks had an unfair advantage in these power rankings. But hey- it's my list, so there. The silver is at it's finest here, syncing well with the orange and blue. While Carmelo is out against the Thunder and the Knicks' season is seemingly lost- at least they'll look good today.

2. Lakers

L: 9 LOC: 8 OC: 8= 25

What
would Christmas Day be without the Lakers? While they don't have Kobe
Bryant and their season is not as they once hoped, fans of the yellow
and gold can revel in the fact that they rank highly here. This takes their Sunday alternate idea to a whole new level- one I'd like to dub "Laker Stormtrooper". This is neck-and-neck with their brand new "Hollywood Nights" that debuted earlier this season.

1. Warriors

L: 10 LOC: 8 OC: 9= 27

For
the Warriors to be first on this list while having yellow be the
predominant color speaks volumes of how much I love these threads. I
typically detest the color yellow outside of the use of honey mustard,
but these uniforms #getit. Their logo looks good on their everyday home
and away jerseys, but it really pops out with the silver mixed with
yellow and complimented well by the blue. These are the best that Christmas Day has to offer.